Psalm 63

Well, good morning. Would you turn with me in your Bible to Psalm 63?

So we're continuing our summer series through the second section of the Psalms.

Psalm 63, it's found on page 479 if you're looking in one of the Pew Bibles.

Psalm 63, a psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live. In your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips

when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night. For you have been

my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you. Your right hand

upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth.

They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be a portion for jackals.

But the king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him shall exult. For the mouths of liars will be

stopped. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this psalm that David wrote so long ago. And we pray that

you would speak to us through these words here today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen. It's known as the toughest foot race in the world. The 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon

has happened every year since 1977 on July 15 in Death Valley National Park. The race starts 280 feet

below sea level. Continues over three mountain ranges to finish at 8,350 feet above sea level for a

cumulative vertical ascent of 13,000 feet. The average high temperature in Death Valley in July is 116 degrees.

This year, 96 competitors from 22 nations attempted the run. 81 finished it within 48 hours. The winner

finished 135 miles in a little less than 24 hours. Now that's five regular marathons back to back.

Most of us, it's hard to even imagine what's involved in such a feat.

Right? Training to survive 100 plus degree temperatures in the middle of the desert with

the sun beating down on you, running five marathons and climbing the equivalent of three or four

mountains in the course of pulling an all-nighter or two. It's intense. Far beyond almost all of our

daily experience. Now the psalm we're looking at this morning is also intense. And it's vivid.

Beyond most of our daily experience. Even the setting of the psalm is intense. It says it was

written when David was in the wilderness of Judah. Now the wilderness of Judah is the land east of

Jerusalem sloping down toward the Dead Sea. And it's a place with less than two inches of rain

that fall every year. Summer temperatures above 100 degrees. It's so dry that the land is often cracked

because the soil is so dry. And David was hiding out there most likely because his son Absalom had

staged a coup and taken over the throne from him. And he was fleeing for his life.

But even more than the setting or David's personal circumstances, we see in this psalm a vivid picture

of biblical spirituality or what it looks like to seek after God and be satisfied in God. David begins

by saying, Oh God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you.

As in a dry and weary land where there's no water.

David's life is oriented around pursuing God.

The way that a runner's life is oriented around preparing

for a marathon. From morning to night, everything that a serious runner does,

from the food they eat, to their exercise regime, to their sleeping schedule,

is oriented around the goal of training for the race.

And in a similar way, David's life was oriented around seeking God

from morning to night.

He says in verse 1, Earnestly I seek you.

The verse is sometimes translated,

Early I will seek you.

Either way, the point is that he's seeking God without delay,

without procrastination,

without hesitation,

without distraction,

without half-heartedness.

Excuse me.

When I was in college,

one of the few groups of people

who woke up early on a consistent basis

were some of the varsity athletes

who had early morning running or lifting

or rowing sessions.

And they organized their daily schedule

around their commitment

to pursuing their sport.

They fit in their classes

in that schedule

and their training

and went to bed at a reasonable hour.

And as a result,

they were more disciplined

than most other students

in how they spent their time.

Because they had a driving passion

around which the rest of their life

was organized.

And in a similar way,

David's passion for seeking after God

drives and motivates his life

from morning to night.

Verse 1 talks about seeking the Lord early.

Verse 6 talks about late at night

when he's laying in his bed

in the middle of the night

and he can't get to sleep.

And he says,

I remember you upon my bed

and I meditate on you

in the watches of the night.

For David,

God is the food that he eats,

the water that he drinks,

the air that he breathes,

and the peace

in which he can lie down and sleep.

David's relationship with God

is characterized

both by intensity

and by persistence.

Like a person living in the desert,

seeking after life-giving,

refreshing, energizing water.

If he doesn't find it,

he'll perish.

But you know,

David isn't just

making a one-time emergency request.

He's not just turning to God

out of desperate circumstances

until his life

gets smoothed out again.

Verse 2 says,

I've looked upon you

in the sanctuary.

In other words,

in the tabernacle in Jerusalem

when the people of God

would gather together

to worship

and where he was king

and where things were going well,

he said,

I have looked upon

your power and glory.

So the circumstances

don't really matter

whether David's all alone

in the wilderness of Judah

or whether he's surrounded

by God's people

in the city of Jerusalem.

His life is focused around

seeking after God.

But you know,

he doesn't just seek after God.

He also finds

great satisfaction in God.

Verse 5 says,

My soul will be satisfied

as with fat and rich food

and my mouth will praise you

with joyful lips.

Now literally that verse 5

says my soul will be satisfied

as with marrow and fatness.

And now that phrase

doesn't strike us

in exactly the same way

that it would have struck

an ancient Israelite.

Because we live in a culture

that has an ambivalent relationship

to fat.

Now, in one sense,

we do love fat.

We probably eat too much of it.

But in another sense,

we always hear,

we're constantly hearing messages

that fat is bad for you

and so you should buy skim milk

instead of whole milk

and buy chicken breasts

that are 99% lean

instead of drumsticks.

Right?

And all kinds of fat-free,

low-fat products.

But, although the diet trends

are always changing

and conflicting

so you don't always hear

the same advice

depending on who you're listening to.

But for an ancient Israelite,

their daily food

would have been bread

and grains

for the most part

with maybe a little bit

of olive oil

or a little bit of

very watered-down wine

and some dried fruit.

In some seasons of the year,

they might have vegetables

during certain growing seasons

or harvest seasons

or milk from sheep and goats.

But for the most part,

they ate bread.

That's what sustained them

from day to day.

Now, meat,

on the other hand,

meat was a delicacy.

Most people ate meat

a few times a year.

Maybe at weddings

or at the major Jewish feasts

or when an important guest

came to your house.

The only place

where meat was served

every single day of the year

was the king's table.

And so for most people,

meat was a special treat.

And they really enjoyed eating it.

And in the Israelite culture,

everybody knew

that the best part of the meat

was the fat and juicy parts.

Because they weren't just tasty,

they were satisfying.

They made you feel full

in a way that just eating bread

and some vegetables wouldn't.

And so David says here in verse 5,

My soul finds such satisfaction

in the Lord.

It's like I've just eaten

the best meal I could think of.

The best meal known to man.

I couldn't ask for anything else.

I'm satisfied.

I'm nourished.

I'm strengthened to face the day.

I'm gladdened.

I have joy in my heart.

That's the kind of deep satisfaction

that he experienced in God.

And then he goes on to say,

My mouth will praise you

with joyful lips.

You know, isn't that

what you naturally do

when you have a great meal?

Right?

You want to tell somebody else

and invite them to come with you

to this awesome new restaurant

that just opened,

that has this awesome food.

Or if you're at somebody else's house,

you just start giving,

gushing with compliments to the cook.

Not just because you're trying

to be polite,

but because you're really enjoying

the food that they've

carefully prepared for you.

And in the same way,

when we're satisfied

in the Lord,

we praise Him

not just because

we're trying to be polite

and do our duty

and we feel like we have to,

but because we want to.

Because we're so satisfied in Him

that we want to praise Him

and we want to thank Him

and we want to tell other people

how awesome He is.

And invite them

to taste and see

that He's good.

So we see in this psalm

this vivid picture

of seeking God

and being satisfied in God.

Now, of course,

the question that it raises for us

is what about our relationship

with God?

Does it look anything like this?

Does this characterize

our approach toward God?

Seeking and being satisfied in Him.

Well, maybe you're here today.

Maybe you're not a Christian.

Or maybe you're not sure

what you believe.

Maybe you would say

that you're a spiritual seeker.

Let me challenge you

with a question.

Are you seeking God

at your own pace

and on your own terms?

Are you seeking a God

that fits you?

A God who affirms you

as you are

and doesn't demand

that you change

in any way

that you don't already

want to change.

If the God described

in this psalm exists,

He's not someone

to simply be pursued

at your own pace

like a summer hobby

or an extracurricular

or an enrichment activity.

This God is someone

who calls you

to reorient

your whole life,

your feeling,

your thinking,

your desires,

your decisions

around Him

like a potential

marriage partner

even more.

A long time ago,

the Cambridge professor,

C.S. Lewis,

wrote the following.

He said,

people are reluctant

to cross over

from the notion

of an abstract deity,

an abstract idea

of God

to the living God.

An abstract idea

of God

does nothing,

demands nothing.

He's there

if you wish for Him,

like a book

on a shelf.

He will not pursue you.

But with the God

of the Bible,

it's different.

He says,

it is always shocking

to meet life

where we thought

we were alone.

Look, we say,

it's alive.

This is the very point

at which so many people

draw back.

I would have done

so myself

if I could

and proceed

no further

with Christianity.

An impersonal God,

well and good.

a subject of God,

of beauty,

truth and goodness

that exists

in our own head.

Better still,

a formless life force

surging through us,

a vast power

that we can tap into

best of all.

But God Himself,

alive,

pulling at the other end

of the cord,

perhaps approaching

at an infinite speed,

the hunter,

the king,

the husband,

that is quite another matter.

He says,

there comes a moment

when people who have been

dabbling in religion,

man's search for God,

suddenly draw back,

supposing we really found Him.

We never meant it

to come to that.

Worse still,

supposing He had found us.

Let me urge you,

do not draw back

from the living God

who is seeking after you.

It can be the scariest thing

in the world,

but at the same time,

it is potentially

the most liberating thing

in the world

because the Bible

seeks of a God

who seeks us

and who draws us

to seek after Him,

who puts an unquenchable thirst

in our mouths

that will only be satisfied

in Him.

Long ago,

another man said,

Lord,

You have made us

for Yourself

and our hearts

are restless

until they find

their rest in You.

And Jesus Christ

said,

Come to Me,

all you who are weary

and heavy laden,

and I will give you rest

for your souls.

So if you're seeking

the truth,

keep seeking

until you find it.

Seek Jesus

because perhaps

He is already seeking you

and drawing you

into a living relationship

with Him.

But now for those of us

who are Christians,

for those of us

who would say,

Yes,

I believe in Jesus,

I've come to Him.

What about us?

What do we seek after

with intensity,

with persistence?

Well,

many of us

seek after success

in our studies

or in our career.

Right?

Especially here

in New England,

work and school

demand a lot of time.

They demand often

not just weekdays,

but also evenings

and weekends

and traveling away

from home.

They demand energy

to develop new skills

and face difficult situations

and sometimes navigate

difficult relationships

with coworkers

or fellow students.

School demands money, too.

Now,

most of us are willing

to meet those demands

for time,

energy,

and even money

because we really

want to succeed

in our work.

Or many of us

want to stay in shape

or to get in shape.

And so we're motivated

to go to the gym

early in the morning

or to take long walks

before the weather

gets too hot

or play a sport.

We arrange our schedules

around these things

because we value them highly

and we find joy

when our health

is improving.

Some of us

are invested

in building a marriage

or raising a family.

Huge investments

that are constantly demanding

and at the same time

immensely rewarding.

And all of these things

are worthy pursuits.

But do we pursue God

who is supremely worthy

with even greater intensity

and even greater persistence?

Do we pursue God

not just on the side,

in addition to pursuing our work,

pursuing our health,

pursuing our relationships,

but do we pursue our work

and pursue our health

and pursue our relationships

in order to display

the glory of God

and out of thankfulness

and love for Him

who created all these things?

Do we joyfully praise God

and freely speak of Him

to others

because we found

such deep satisfaction in Him?

No, for most of us,

if we're honest,

the answer is no.

Or at least,

not consistently.

Maybe we have

occasional bursts

of spiritual intensity.

We pray

and seek God's help

in a time of crisis

followed by long periods

of complacency

when our life

is going

fairly smoothly.

You know,

if we think about

our normal daily routine,

from morning to night,

we often go through it

with little thought

for God.

Right?

And it's hard.

We drag ourselves

out of bed in the morning,

stumble into the shower,

go through the motions,

get ourselves out the door

to work or to class

or start taking care

of the kids.

Our days are busy,

full of work,

full of activity.

If we can,

we include some things

that are pleasurable,

whether it's a nice,

a good cup of coffee,

watching a movie

or a play

or getting together

with some friends.

And then finally,

at the end of the day,

we get into bed

and fall asleep.

And then if we can't

fall asleep right away

or if we wake up

in the middle of the night,

our thoughts range

from all the things

I need to do tomorrow,

anxiety over

difficult relationships,

guilt from past failures,

fear of future disappointments,

frustration at our inability

to get back to sleep

and the prospect

of going through

another day tired.

It's hard.

Even just to live

from day to day,

to just make it.

Then where does God

fit into all this?

Right?

Maybe we want to follow God.

We want Him to be

the center of our life

so we come to church

on Sundays.

Maybe we pray before meals

or go to a small group

in the middle of the week

or spend a few minutes

praying and reading

the Bible in the morning

at some time of day

but still,

if we're honest,

our life is far

from being saturated

with this seeking after God

and being satisfied in Him.

And that picture

that we have in this psalm,

it's sort of like

the picture

of the ultramarathon,

135 miles

through the middle

of the desert.

That's very admirable

for those 81 people

who could do it.

And that's not something

I am ever going

to try to do.

It just seems

completely impossible

and unrealistic

for me

in my circumstances.

I mean,

do you feel that way?

I feel that way often.

Our passion for God

is like a leaky bucket.

It's constantly losing water

until it gets filled up again.

Well, the good news

is that this psalm

doesn't just give us

a picture

of somebody else

who is seeking God

and being satisfied in Him.

And it doesn't just give us

a standard

to measure ourselves against.

That's what we've seen so far.

A picture

of someone seeking God

and being satisfied in Him.

A standard

to measure ourselves against.

The good news is

this psalm points us

to the resources

that we need

to experience this ourselves.

To seek God

and to be satisfied in Him

on a daily basis.

Now look down

at what David says.

We've looked mostly

at the first half

of the psalm,

verses 1 through 6.

But look down

at what David says

in verses 5 through 7.

He starts by saying,

my soul will be satisfied

as with fat and rich food.

He goes on,

when I remember you

on my bed.

And then in verse 7

he says,

for,

or because,

you have been my help.

In other words,

the reason

that David

is satisfied

in the Lord

is because

God has been

His help

in the past.

And then look down

at verse 8.

David says,

my soul clings to you,

but your right hand

upholds me.

It's a picture

of a fearful child

holding on

to his daddy's side

for dear life.

But his daddy

has his right hand,

his strong arm

around him.

And daddy

will not let

his child go.

He holds him close.

So David said,

God has been

my help in the past

and God upholds me

in the present.

And then verse 9

through 11,

David speaks of

God's promise

for the future.

He says,

those who seek

to destroy my life

will go down

into the depths

of the earth.

But the king

will rejoice in God.

In other words,

David's enemies

who were fighting

against God's purpose

would not have

the last word.

God will surely

be victorious.

So David points us

to these three things

that are the fuel

for a life

of seeking

and being satisfied

in God.

These three things,

God's help in the past,

God's hand in the present,

and God's promise

for the future.

And David experienced

all these things.

But you know,

you and I

can experience

these things

in an even

fuller measure

than David did.

Because

Jesus Christ

came

to give us

these three things

in an even

more profound way

than David

ever could have seen.

In Jesus Christ,

we see

that God has come

to be

our helper.

That He has helped us

in the past.

And the Hebrew word,

and you know,

that doesn't just mean

that He sort of

threw you a few bones

along the way.

You know,

sort of gave you

a few nice things

in life.

But the word helper

in Hebrew

means someone

who comes alongside you,

who joins with you,

who stands by you

with unwavering loyalty,

and does for you

what you could not

do for yourself.

That's why it's described,

used to describe

a marriage partner

in the Old Testament.

as well as

a military ally.

Right?

But the point is,

this is exactly

what Jesus did.

Jesus came

alongside us.

He lived with us

on this earth.

He joined Himself

to us.

He took on

our human nature.

He was tempted

in every way,

just as we are.

And yet,

He never sinned.

And He loved us

and stood by us

with unfailing loyalty.

It says He loved

His disciples

to the end.

Even to the point

of dying

for us on the cross.

Right?

Doing for us

what we could never do

for ourselves.

And when Jesus

died on the cross,

He paid the price

for our sin

so that we might

be forgiven

and free

from condemnation.

Jesus became ours

so that we might

become His.

so that we might

be able to say

God has been

my helper.

He has come

alongside me.

He has joined

Himself to me

in Jesus Christ

and He has done

for me what I could

never do for myself.

And He has stood

by me with

unfailing loyalty.

Like a true

friend.

A true ally.

A true helper.

And when we see

that,

when we see the

price that He paid,

to become

our helper,

we see that it's

so futile

and foolish

to live for ourselves.

It's so empty

to chase after

things in this world

that are just

going to pass away

and crave things

that just satisfy

us for a moment.

And we see that

He is worthy

because He's the one

who has stood by us

more than anyone else.

And so when we see

that, we begin

to have this desire

to live for Him

and to organize

our schedule around Him

and to orient

our life around Him

from early in the

morning until the

middle of the night.

To seek Him

with intensity

and with persistence

because He is

our greatest ally

and He has met

our greatest need.

So in Jesus

we see that God

has been our help

in the past,

but in Jesus

we also see that

God upholds us

in the present.

Through Jesus Christ

we have a Father

in Heaven

who holds us

in His mighty

right hand

and He will not

let us go.

He is holding you

in the midst

of sleepless nights,

in the midst

of oppressive heat,

in the midst

of a cancer diagnosis,

in the midst

of chronic pain,

in the midst

of a mental breakdown,

in the midst

of unemployment,

in the midst

of loneliness,

in the midst

of persecution,

in the midst

of all the other

troubles

that we experience

in this world

and all the deserts

that we have

to walk through.

But Jesus said

to His disciples,

Peace

I leave with you.

My peace

I give to you.

I do not give

to you

as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts

be troubled

and do not be afraid.

Just as David says

in verse 7,

Rest in the shadow

of His wings.

He is holding you

with His mighty

right hand.

In Jesus Christ,

God upholds you

in the present.

And finally,

in Jesus Christ

we have God's promise

for the future

that everyone

and everything

that opposes God

will be overthrown.

That sin

and Satan

and death

will not have

the last word.

We read this earlier

from Revelation chapter 7.

Revelation 7 · chapter mention

The promise

that one day

we will stand

before the throne

of God

and serve Him

day and night

in the shelter

of His presence.

And on that day

it says

we will hunger

no more

nor thirst

anymore

because Jesus,

the Lamb,

in the midst

of the throne,

He will be our shepherd

and He will guide us

to springs

of living water

and God will wipe

away every tear

from our eyes.

can you even imagine

that God will come

to you

that He upholds you

in His mighty right hand

and He'll never let you go

and He'll come to you

with the tenderness

of a mother

wiping the tears

from her child's face.

And all our thirst

and all our longing

and all our seeking

after God

will be one day

forever satisfied

in His presence

and will delight

in Him

for all eternity.

This is what we have

in Jesus Christ

that gives us

the fuel

for a life

of seeking

and being satisfied

in the Lord.

And today we're

just about to come

to the Lord's table

to celebrate communion.

And as we do that

we're invited

to experience

that future promise

breaking into

our present reality.

So as we prepare

to eat the bread

and drink the cup together

we're going to pray

and ask that Jesus

would come

and dwell among us

here by His Holy Spirit

and even lift us up

into His presence

so that our souls

would be satisfied

and nourished

and strengthened

and glad

and glad.

Psalm 34 says

taste and see

that the Lord

is good.

Blessed are all

who take refuge

in Him.

Let's pray.

O merciful Lord

we do not come

to this

your table

trusting in our own

righteousness

but in your

abundant

and great

mercies.

Lord we are not

even worthy

to eat the crumbs

under your table

but you have come.

You have been

our help.

You uphold us

in the present

and you have given us

a glorious promise

for the future.

You delight

in showing mercy.

So grant us

therefore

gracious Lord

so to eat this bread

and drink this cup

that we may evermore

dwell in you

and delight in you

and desire you.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.